Book 1, Part 1 Summary

Mickey Sabbath's fifty-two year old mistress has issued him an ultimatum: be faithful or she will end their affair. Drenka Balich has been Sabbath's mistress for thirteen years, but their affair has never been monogamous. Sabbath claims to be shocked by her ultimatum and he reflects on their relationship as the novel opens.

Drenka is well known and loved as the local innkeeper's wife, a warm woman who showers her guests and employees alike with motherly hospitality. Mickey Sabbath, by contrast, is a failed puppeteer who missed his one big chance when he declined Jim Henson's offer to hire him for Sesame Street. Mickey's wife, Roseanna, frequently reminds him of this missed opportunity, but Mickey doesn't really care. He tells the reader he wouldn't have been happy wearing a Big Bird suit all these years. He also informs us that Roseanna...